The Americana Thrift Shop, the neighbor across Court Street from the newspaper office, recently “re-imagined” the design of the shop, as the current saying goes. Returning customers should be pleased with the new spaciousness and the new way the items are displayed. First-time customers will find what returning customers have always found; “Extraordinary merchandise at extraordinarily low prices!”
The Americana Thrift Shop is a charity that has been run by the Women of Old Stone Presbyterian Church for over 50 years. None of the volunteer staff ever receive payment for their work, and none of the money from sales goes to the Church itself. The entirety of the proceeds go to local charities, such as the Family Refuge Center, the Children’s Home Society, United Way, and the Greenbrier Food Locker, among many others.
As Jill Gwinn, the manager of the shop, likes to explain, “We really have two different groups we try to keep happy at the same time. That’s a lot harder than you might think at first glance. The first group is the customer base, the men and women who come in looking for the best bargains around. We try to keep our prices as low for them as we can without taking away from the other group.
“You see, we need to have prices as high for the second group as the first group will allow! The second group are your neighbors in Greenbrier County who are served by the charities we give all our money to. And I do mean all. No one associated with Americana makes a single dime from their work. Actually, our volunteers lose money-they have to pay for the fuel they use to get to the shop. They tell me, though, they have so much fun there, they don’t mind a bit.”
The merchandise is constantly changing and is as broad as that big store near the Interstate. Household items like blenders, dishes, and kitchen utensils; women’s clothing, from high fashion to socks and work-out sweats; toys and games, for both children and adults; draperies for your living room, linens for your bed, and men’s suits and sports coats. (No food, though.)
Because Americana never know what kind of items might come through their door next, neither do the customers until they get there. So, look for the flags, then go on in to see what treasures you might find any given day! You’ll be helping yourself, and helping the Greenbrier Valley at the same time. That’s the best bargain you’ll ever find.
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